Numbers – Chapter 6

Old Testament27 Verses

Chapter Summary

Numbers 6 opens with the words: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:" The chapter centers on Moses and Aaron. Across its 27 verses, two threads run through the text: holiness and worship and praise. The Church invites us to read this chapter within the whole sweep of salvation history, where every page points toward Christ.

1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: When a man, or woman, shall make a vow to be sanctified, and will consecrate themselves to the Lord:

3They shall abstain from wine, and from every thing that may make a man drunk. They shall not drink vinegar of wine, or of any other drink, nor any thing that is pressed out of the grape: nor shall they eat grapes either fresh or dried.

4All the days that they are consecrated to the Lord by vow: they shall eat nothing that cometh of the vineyard, from the raisin even to the kernel.

5All the time of his separation no razor shall pass over his head, until the day be fulfilled of his consecration to the Lord. He shall be holy, and shall let the hair of his head grow.

6All the time of his consecration he shall not go in to any dead,

7Neither shall he make himself unclean, even for his father, or for his mother, or for his brother, or for his sister, when they die, because the consecration of his God is upon his head.

8All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the Lord.

9But if any man die suddenly before him: the head of his consecration shall be defiled: and he shall shave it forthwith on the same day of his purification, and again on the seventh day.

10And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons to the priest in the entry of the covenant of the testimony.

11And the priest shall offer one for sin, and the other for a holocaust, and shall pray for him, for that he hath sinned by the dead: and he shall sanctify his head that day:

12And shall consecrate to the Lord the days of his separation, offering a lamb of one year for sin: yet so that the former days be made void, because his sanctification was profaned.

13This is the law of consecration. When the days which he had determined by vow shall be expired, he shall bring him to the door of the tabernacle of the covenant,

14And shall offer his oblation to the Lord: one he lamb of a year old without blemish for a holocaust, and one ewe lamb of a year old without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for a victim of peace offering,

15A basket also of unleavened bread, tempered with oil, and wafers without leaven anointed with oil, and the libations of each:

16And the priest shall present them before the Lord, and shall offer both the sin offering and the holocaust.

17But the ram he shall immolate for a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, offering at the same time the basket of unleavened bread, and the libations that are due by custom.

18Then shall the hair of the consecration of the Nazarite, be shaved off before the door of the tabernacle of the covenant: and he shall take his hair, and lay it upon the fire, which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.

19And shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and he shall deliver them into the hands of the Nazarite, after his head is shaven.

20And receiving them again from him, he shall elevate them in the sight of the Lord: and they being sanctified shall belong to the priest, as the breast, which was commanded to be separated, and the shoulder. After this the Nazarite may drink wine.

21This is the law of the Nazarite, when he hath vowed his oblation to the Lord in the time of his consecration, besides those things which his hand shall find, according to that which he had vowed in his mind, so shall he do for the fulfilling of his sanctification.

22And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

23Say to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the children of Israel, and you shall say to them:

24The Lord bless thee, and keep thee.

25The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee.

26The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace.

27And they shall invoke my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.

Important Verses in Numbers 6

All the time of his separation no razor shall pass over his head, until the day be fulfilled of his consecration to the Lord. He shall be holy, and shall let the hair of his head grow.

Numbers 6:5

All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the Lord.

Numbers 6:8

But the ram he shall immolate for a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, offering at the same time the basket of unleavened bread, and the libations that are due by custom.

Numbers 6:17

The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee.

Numbers 6:25

Historical Context

Numbers belongs to the Old Testament and was composed for israel on the threshold of the Promised Land, warned by the failures of the wilderness generation. Chapter 6 of 36 belongs to the early movement of the book, where the narrative or argument is still unfolding. It is a narrative passage recounting concrete events in salvation history with 27 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. The chapter focuses on Moses and Aaron, whose actions and words drive the passage forward. The passage starts with these words: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:" The chapter ends with: "And they shall invoke my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them. " Read against its original backdrop, Numbers takes its name from the two censuses of Israel and covers nearly forty years of wandering between Sinai and the plains of Moab. Scholarly and ecclesial tradition places the composition of Numbers around Wilderness traditions of the 13th century BC; final form by the 5th century BC.

Who Wrote It

Traditionally attributed to Moses, with priestly editing

When It Was Written

Wilderness traditions of the 13th century BC; final form by the 5th century BC

Catholic Commentary

Read at the narrative level, this chapter describes real persons, decisions, and consequences within wilderness journey and God's faithfulness. A pivotal line is verse 5: "All the time of his separation no razor shall pass over his head, until the day be fulfilled of his consecration to the Lord. He shall be holy, and shall let…" The passage repeatedly touches on holiness before God.

Catholic exegesis reads Numbers 6 within the unity of Scripture and Tradition. the Church sees Israel's journey as an image of our pilgrimage to heaven (CIC 2119). St. Cyril of Alexandria and other Fathers of the Church saw in texts like this a preparation for or reflection of Christ, the center of revelation (CIC 1502).

For Christians today, the chapter's lesson is clear: 'Be holy, for I am holy': God calls His people to be set apart for Him in every area of life.. The Church invites us to receive this word not as antiquarian information but as living Scripture proclaimed at Mass and prayed in lectio divina.

Main Teachings

  • 'Be holy, for I am holy': God calls His people to be set apart for Him in every area of life.
  • Worship is the heart of the covenant: giving God the praise and adoration that are His due.
  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.

People in This Chapter

Moses2 mentionsAaron1 mention

Reflection for Today

Sacred Scripture presents Numbers Chapter 6 as a unique stage in salvation history, not merely as background to other books.

St. John Damascene and other Fathers of the Church meditated on texts like this one, seeing in them instruction for the spiritual life. the Church sees Israel's journey as an image of our pilgrimage to heaven (CIC 2119). The passage calls believers to grasp that God guides His people through the desert.

May your reading of Numbers Chapter 6 become true lectio divina: read the words, meditate on their meaning, respond in prayer, and rest in God's presence. Ask the Holy Spirit to show how God guides His people through the desert applies to your life today.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Numbers Chapter 6 about?

Numbers 6 contains 27 verses. It opens with "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:" and closes with "And they shall invoke my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them. ". The book as a whole is narrative, census lists, and law.

What is a key verse in Numbers 6?

One of the most significant verses is verse 5: "All the time of his separation no razor shall pass over his head, until the day be fulfilled of his consecration to the Lord. He shall be holy, and shall let the hair of his head…" It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in Numbers Chapter 6?

This chapter mentions Moses, Aaron.

Who wrote Numbers and when?

Traditionally attributed to Moses, with priestly editing. Wilderness traditions of the 13th century BC; final form by the 5th century BC.

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